I greeted this morning in a little bit of a funk. I awoke in a hotel room I didn't recognize at first (Not to insinuate anything scandalous! I am visiting a friend in Florida and just forgot where I was for a second in my morning fog. C'mon, you know that feeling.) I was out much later than usual and didn't get my obligatory seven to eight hours sleep. And this was not by design.  I was not prepared for the loud jarring knock followed by the word "Housekeeping!" (Again, many of you know EXACTLY what that sounds like and how intrusive it is when you've forgotten to place the privacy notice on your door. It's quite possibly one of the most grating sounds ever.) I dragged my butt out of bed eventually, never really able to fall back asleep and in a half coherent daze, proceeded to the lobby for my morning latte.  I didn't want to say hello to anyone, as I normally do and in a nutshell, I wasn't feeling very, well . . . Nice.  I was sleepy and felt a little bit like the Muppet that lives in the garbage can. Oscar the Grouch himself.
So I retreated back to my room to read the NY Times online and peacefully drink my latte.  On the home page was an article under the Style Section with a picture of the iconic big yellow smiley face sign, which has always in our culture symbolized "Have A Nice Day." Whatever.  I wasn't feeing nice and I didn't want any 'niceness' around me.  Bah Humbug.

However, the tagline intrigued me. "There's been an outbreak of niceness across the cultural landscape."  Really? Are people in general becoming kinder?  I realized my mood this morning was certainly no reflection of my usual perky cheery self so I thought, wow. This could be a wonderful thing. I clicked to read more.

It was in this article that I discovered a fabulous new blog called "Operation Nice". It's like a wonderland of niceness and all that is good in human kind.  People sharing stories of love and gratitude and tales of how the smallest gesture of kindness can really make someone's day. There are even "Suggestions For Niceness" if you have trouble conjuring up something. (That would be me today!)

It is a perfect site to go to when you are feeling blue and think the world may be out to get you.  It's not. When I find myself in 'funks' such as this, I try to remember it is only me that is out to get me.  This site is a great reminder of that.

Because after all, to quote Operation Nice: If everyone was a little bit nicer to the folks they encountered each day, perhaps the world would be a more pleasant place. Truer words have never been spoken.